Area hip-hop promoter resolves case on eve of trial

A rapper and concert promoter from Ledyard pleaded guilty Friday to robbing a Boston-area music producer and participating in a riot at Foxwoods Resort Casino as jury selection got underway in New London Superior Court.

David B. Dixon Jr., 24, known as “ATM” or “Addicted to Money,” was sentenced to 27 months in prison on reduced charges of third-degree robbery, second-degree riot and possession of narcotics.

Dixon had been held in lieu of $312,500 since May. In opting for a trial, he had turned down a plea offer from the state involving a 30-month prison sentence followed by three years of probation. He had faced up to 180 years had he been found guilty and received the maximum sentences on his initial robbery and weapons charges.

Prosecutor Stephen M. Carney and defense attorney Matthew G. Berger continued to negotiate and discuss the state’s ability to prove its case as potential jurors assembled at the Huntington Street courthouse. Berger said they reached a resolution in the early afternoon. The state’s new offer involved a “flat” prison sentence, meaning there would be no period of probation or other state supervision upon Dixon’s release from prison.

According to Ledyard police, Dixon and an unidentified man held up Joseph Spaziani from Worldwide Productions, a Boston-area production company, on the cul-de-sac at Crocker Hill Road on Oct. 19, 2013.

Spaziani initially told police he and a few friends drove to Ledyard to meet with Dixon, a possible music client, and give him money for tickets to a show. He said Dixon and a heavyset man with a gun forced their way into the car, rummaged through it and stole $5,000. Dixon was accused of grabbing one of the passengers by the neck during the incident. Spaziani later admitted he went to Ledyard to buy a pound of marijuana, according to police.

Dixon, who has hosted hip-hop shows at several area clubs, was also involved in a Feb. 25, 2102, brawl that broke out in the foyer of the MGM Grand at Foxwoods after a party hosted by Sean “Diddy” Combs, according to police. He and three others, including the hip-hop artist and actor Jim Jones, were arrested in that incident.

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